Students from the Higher Diploma in Multimedia Design and Technology program helped making the Hulu Culture “i-Tour” Sham Shui Po interactive heritage tour happens.

The i-Tour is an interactive iPad application, part of the H.A.D. Walk (short for Heritage, Art and Design Walk) project organized by local NGO Hulu Culture with funding from the Hong Kong Jockey Club. Our students contributed, through the COOP Projects subject last year, to the design and development of video, interactive web content and various souvenir products for this meaningful activity.

For further details about the i-Tour project, which was just launched this week, please visit:

This book is a must-read for any design enthusiast or anyone working in the design industry whether you’re practicing or collaborating.

Mr Bierut writes with wit and delight while Abbott Miller reflects that in the design. He illustrates each essay with a new typeface that plays off the content of each piece. The book will bring you new insight into design and… read more

IKEA has officially changed their customized Futura typeface, IKEA Sans, to Verdana, a font designed for Microsoft for screen viewing.

For those who haven’t heard, there has been a lot of outrage for this move by many IKEA- and type-lovers. The reason for this change is to synchronize the online and printed look for IKEA. As a member of the marketing team, I understand the need to create a unified identity. But as a designer, when you have a customized Futura typeface that has been working for you all these years, you just don’t abandon it and replace it with a default just so you can have everything look similar. No layman notices anyway and the ones that do notice really appreciate the aura that IKEA Sans sends out.

Here’s a parody that aptly illustrates what designers will most likely come across in their careers. The video may be funny to all but some of us know that all too much of it is true. I’m not trying to discourage new designers but rather to offer some insight.

Behind the walls of academia, your professors and mentors will protect you from the harsh realities. When you’re out on your own, you’ll meet clients that will respect you and your work and you’ll work with those that hire you to execute their “design” ideas, as depicted in the video. Wherever your talent and luck will lead you, keep in mind that design isn’t a weapon of mass destruction and should not be used with that intent. Use design as a vehicle to educate and develop the creative industry in our beloved city that is Hong Kong.